'"Whoever has a hand in the making of it shall walk in the procession," said Madame, with a smile, as she drew the heap of silks towards her and began to disentangle the skeins.

'We were all feeling rather dull after the intense excitement of the day before, and the working of the banner seemed to be the very thing we felt most inclined to do,—something that could really be done for the Duke,—something that, by our efforts, we might make not unworthy to be offered. These thoughts were enough to revive all our enthusiasm, and to set us to work with an energy and perseverance which, I am afraid, we had never been known before to display in Madame St. Aubert's schoolroom. Pauline proceeded to draw out the pattern, Bessie to sort the silks into heaps of the same colour, but varying in shade; and the little ones were soon busy in winding skeins and threading needles for the whole party. To my own great joy, I was not classed among the "little ones" on the present occasion. Mamma had taught me to embroider very well; and, much as I hated it at home, I was glad to find, when I came to school, that there was one thing at least which I could do better than Agnes Blount,—better, indeed, than most of the girls much older than myself. Henrietta was the only one whom I could not hope to rival; and Henrietta would not help us. We dragged her into the room, and made her admire the soft rich blue of the silk, and the glittering gold and silver, with which it was to be ornamented, and from habit she began to show Mary Seymour how to hold her hand so as not to soil her work; but when she glanced over Pauline's shoulder and saw the pattern that she was copying, she exclaimed, "Oh Pauline!" in a voice of such disapproval and distress that we all looked up surprised.

'"Don't you think a lion and a unicorn will be pretty, Henrietta?" I asked anxiously. "I wanted to have some beautiful gold lilies, like those in that French book Madame showed us; but Bessie said that would not do, because the Duke of Monmouth must have the arms of England."

'"But he is to have a French motto," observed Lucy Fordyce. "And such an easy one. I can translate it quite well: 'God and my Right.' It is all to be written in gold letters. Don't you think it will look very well?"

'"Oh yes, very well indeed," replied Henrietta, with a little smile that seemed to make Bessie quite angry, for she said indignantly;

'"Well, Henrietta, and has he not the best right in the world to the royal arms? Is he not our king already?"

'"Oh, certainly, if wearing our king's colours makes him so; and I think he ought to be proud of having such a devoted subject. But, Bessie dear, I see you have changed your favourite rose colour for blue, which I have often heard you say does not suit you half so well."

'Bessie looked vexed at this speech, and her cheeks flushed for a minute; but then, glancing down at her blue breast-knot with a proud smile, she said enthusiastically, almost defiantly, "I don't care if you do laugh at me. It is the only thing I can do for him."

'"Ah! that is right! That is my own warm-hearted Bessie," cried Pauline, who always expressed her feelings far more openly and strongly than any of the rest of us. "I think it is very right and noble of her to do it, and I would do just the same—only, unfortunately, blue does suit me; so it is no sacrifice." And darting an indignant look at Henrietta, she flew to Bessie's side and bestowed an affectionate kiss on both her cheeks. Pauline's demonstrative ways used to make us all feel rather embarrassed sometimes; and Henrietta especially would become colder and more reserved than ever when Pauline was "attendrie" or "emue," as she expressed it. On the present occasion, however, her eyes twinkled with fun when she saw that Pauline's hasty movement had swept our beautiful banner down to the floor, while all the embroiderers had stopped their work to stare at Bessie, and did not even make an effort to save it.

'"Well, good-bye, Pauline," she said, turning to leave the room; "I won't hinder your work any longer. Your hero's standard is trailing in the dust, which is rather a bad omen; but it was not I that threw it there." And Henrietta vanished, while the rest of the party returned to their work with increased soberness and diligence, but rather less talking than before.